1. Field of the Invention
This application is generally directed to devices for providing emergency inflation of vehicle tires or other articles and more specifically to a tire inflation apparatus which provides an elongated pliable air transfer tube having a gauge mounted along the length thereof with similar valve chucks being mounted at opposite ends of the tube. The valve chucks may be secured to valve stems of conventional tires to provide for transfer of air from inflated tires to a deflated tire.
2. Brief Discussion of the Related Art
Most vehicle drivers have at one time or another experienced the inconvenience of a flat tire. Flat tires are often caused by faulty valves or by slow leaks created by punctures created by sharp objects which may remain in place, such as when a nail penetrates a tread of a tire and becomes lodged in the tire but permits a slow leak of pressurized air. When a tire becomes flat, it is necessary to stop a vehicle and either inflate the tire or replace the tire with a spare, if a spare tire is available. However, there are many instances where individuals can not physically change a tire or where, due to the lack of or faulty tire changing equipment such as jacks and jack handles, it is not possible to effect a change between a flat tire and a spare.
There have been numerous products developed to provide for emergency inflation of vehicle tires to permit emergency use of a vehicle so that vehicle can be driven to a repair facility wherein the damaged tire can be properly fixed or replaced. Some such innovations include hand or foot operated pumps or battery operated pumps which may be connected to a vehicle electrical system to inject air into a flat tire. Unfortunately, hand or foot operated type pumps require a great deal of physical ability and, in many cases, individuals can not properly operate such devices. Further, even where an individual can physically work a hand or foot operated pump, it is often a slow and tedious process to inflate a tire to a degree wherein a vehicle can be safely moved. Likewise, many battery operated pumps are slow and inefficient.
Another type of emergency inflation device includes containers having pressurized substances therein which substances may be injected through a valve of a conventional tire for sealing the interior surface of the tire and to provide a measure of pressurized gas to allow for emergency movement of the vehicle. Unfortunately, such inflation devices must be purchased ahead of time and have limited storage life. Further, once a container is used, it must be replaced, thereby requiring an expenditure of funds for the replacement container.
In view of the foregoing, there have been other innovations developed to permit transfer of air between a spare tire or other tires of a vehicle and a flat tire. By way of example, in U.S. Pat. No. 1,492,838 to Dilweg, a device for transmitting compressed air between two vehicle tires is disclosed which includes a flexible tube having air chucks at each end which are adapted to be engaged such that one chuck is connected to open the valve stem of a flat tire and the opposite chuck is utilized to open the valve stem of an inflated tire such that pressure from the inflated tire is transferred to the flat tire. Unfortunately, devices as disclosed in the reference to Dilweg do not adequately provide for a safe and efficient transfer of air pressure, especially in instances where the flat tire is not caused by a slow leak but has been caused by a slash or large hole in the tire, such that the tire can not retain any air pressure. If a badly damaged flat tire is connected to an inflated tire, the air from the inflated tire will continuously bleed through the damaged tire resulting in the complete depletion of pressurized air from the inflated tire thus creating a situation where the vehicle now has two tires which are inoperative.
In an effort to improve upon the basic concept of providing an air transfer tube to permit the transfer of pressurized air from an inflated tire to a deflated tire, special valves have been proposed to limit the transfer of air to a deflated tire. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,269,312 to Bressler such a device is disclosed wherein one of the chucks includes a spring biased check valve for cutting off flow from the inflated tire to the deflated tire when pressure entering the chuck is at a predetermined level. Unfortunately, if the damaged tire has been badly damaged there will have been a transfer of a significant portion of air from the inflated tire before the flow of pressurized air is terminated thus making the vehicle relative unsafe to drive.
In view of the foregoing, there remains a need to provide for a device for transferring air between the tires of a vehicle, including a spare tire, and a tire which has been deflated wherein the device can be used without depleting the air pressure of a pressurized tire in the event the tire to receive air is badly damage such that it can not retain air pressure, thus preventing the adverse depletion of air from good tires when attempting to fill a flat tire.
Some additional examples of prior art air transfer devices are disclosed in U.S. Des. Pat. No. 360,457 to Levisay, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,663,348 to Farrish, 4,037,638 to Mosca, 5,419,377 to Harris and 5,928,443 to Jorda et al.
The present invention is directed to an emergency vehicle tire inflation apparatus which includes a pliable air transfer tube which is preferably in the form of a coiled tube having opposite ends. The air transfer tube defines a central air passageway. A pressure gauge is mounted to the air transfer tube along the length thereof so as to be in communication to measure pressure within the air passageway of the transfer tube. Special valve chucks are provided at each of the ends of the air transfer or inflation tube with each valve chuck being, in a preferred embodiment, similarly constructed so the valve chucks may be used interchangeably with a deflated or an inflated tire.
With the present invention, the air valve chucks include a first connector for connecting the valve chucks to the air transfer tube and a second rotatable connector which is designed to cooperatively seat with and seal against a conventional valve stem of a vehicle tire so that the valve chuck may be seated in sealed engagement with a valve stem prior to the valve of the valve chuck being operated. Each valve chuck further includes an interior valve member which is movable from a first position in which air flow through the valve chuck is prohibited to a second position wherein a pin carried by the valve member opens the valve stem of the conventional vehicle tire while a fluid passageway through the valve chuck is opened between the air transfer tube and the valve stem. In preferred embodiments, the operation of the valve chuck assembly is controlled by a pivotable lever or handle which is mounted slightly off-center to provide a camming surface to move the valve member from one position to another and such that the valve member is retained in an open position unless closed by manual movement of the handle or lever.
In some embodiments, a separate shut-off valve may be positioned along the air transfer tube to control air flow therethrough without the need to operate the valve chucks once they are placed in an operative position and opened to permit air flow therethrough.
The invention is also directed to a method of safely transferring air from a spare tire or an inflated vehicle tire to a flat tire of a vehicle wherein an air transfer tube is provided having valve chucks at opposite ends such that the air transfer tube may be secured between the valve stem of a flat tire and the valve stem of an inflated tire without initially allowing any air transfer between the tires. Further, with the methodology of the invention, a gauge is provided along a length of the air transfer tube such that by opening each valve chuck individually, a pressure reading can be taken with respect to not only the inflated tire but with respect to the deflated tire. Using the methodology, monitoring the pressure of the deflated tire for a short period of time will give an accurate reflection of whether the deflated tire has a type of leak which will allow emergency inflation for limited roadway use, such as when the cause of the leak of the deflated tire will allow a retention of air pressure for a period of time as opposed to a large opening in the tire which prevents the tire from retaining air pressure.
Using the apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to transfer air from an inflated to a deflated tire without accidentally releasing the air pressure through the deflated tire to atmosphere. Further, utilizing the apparatus and methodology of the invention, it is possible to use only a portion of the pressurized air from several tires to inflate and balance pressure between not only the deflated tire but between opposite tires of a vehicle so that the tire pressure on opposite sides of a vehicle is balanced before a vehicle is moved under an emergency situation.
It is therefore the primary object of the present invention to provide an air transfer device which can be used to transfer air pressure from one or more tires of a vehicle to a deflated tire wherein accidental loss of air pressure due to a badly damaged deflated tire is prevented and wherein the balancing of pressure between various tires of a vehicle may be accomplished with a gauge being provided to ensure accurate balancing of air pressure.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide an emergency apparatus for allowing the inflation of a tire having a slow or minor leak therein wherein the device can be easily stored in a vehicle and may be used not only to transfer air between tires of a single vehicle but wherein air can be transferred from one or more tires on one vehicle to one or more tires of another vehicle with tire pressures being monitored as air is transferred from one tire to another.